'The people gonna rise like the water': A whirlwind week at the Global Climate Action Summit

We're calling on international leaders to move forward with real change, not false climate solutions.

Tuesday September 18, 2018

Wow! Last week, members of the Stand.earth team converged in San Francisco during the Global Climate Action Summit, supporting actions that called on international leaders to move forward with real change, not false climate solutions. It’s been a whirlwind week of learning from frontline communities, chanting in the streets, asking tough questions to corporate executives and politicians, and building deep and meaningful relationships.

We kicked off the week at Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice, part of a global day of action. Over 30,000 people from all walks of life gathered in the streets of San Francisco. We proudly marched alongside our fellow allies and friends with a banner that read “Permission Denied,” recognizing that while governments may grant fossil fuel project permits, it’s ultimately communities that grant the permission.

Over the weekend, we also participated in the It Takes Roots Solidarity 2 Solutions summit, supporting Indigenous peoples from the global north and south who are standing with frontline communities in challenging the market-based solutions to the climate crisis presented at the Global Climate Action Summit.

The subsequent days were filled with shutting down the streets, calling out politicians, and challenging industry leaders. We learned about cutting-edge industry approaches to decarbonizing the shipping sector, and met with members of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition on decarbonizing the fashion industry. We confronted California Gov. Jerry Brown for his climate hypocrisy, and urged delegates of the Global Climate Action Summit to choose #CommunitiesNotCorporations.

In one powerful moment, local organizer Isabella Zizi called out that the real climate leaders were not inside the Global Climate Action Summit building — instead, the real climate leaders were right in front of her, rallying in the streets.

It was a jam-packed week, and a reminder that the fight for a healthy planet and sustainable future requires us tackling all front of the climate crisis together — from holding corporations accountable to urging government official to stop all new fossil fuel projects.

There is nothing quite like people coming together. Solidarity is a powerful feeling. As the week comes to a close, we’re reminded of the lyrics we sang during Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice:

The people gonna rise like the water,
We’re gonna calm this crisis down,
Hear the voice of my great granddaughter,
Singin’ keep it in the ground.